Andy Burnham has thanked the public and fellow party leaders for their support following the death of his dad.
The prime minister cancelled all his engagements, including a meeting with business leaders and a speech at the TUC, after Roy Burnham died on Monday.
In a post on X, he wrote: ‘We are grateful to everyone who has shared a kind message about my dad, particularly the leaders of the other parties.
‘My family and I have been helped though this difficult time by people’s warmth and compassion. It means a great deal to us and we wanted to say thank you.’
Burnham returns to work today with a pair of high-level diplomatic appointments, as Nato chief Mark Rutte and Canadian PM Mark Carney visit the UK.
Make sense of the mad world of British politics
Get analysis of the latest stories direct to your inbox from Metro’s Senior Politics Reporter Craig Munro. Sign up here.
It’s expected he will attend Everton’s game against Wolves with Carney, who is a fellow fan of the Liverpool club, this evening.
Roy Burnham was suffering from Alzheimer’s at the time of his death, and the PM had previously spoken about the difficulty of knowing his dad was not aware of his new top job.
He has cited that experience as one of the driving forces behind his ambition to reform social care.
Kemi Badenoch, Sir Ed Davey, Nigel Farage and Zack Polanski were among the major party leaders who voiced sympathy for Burnham and his family after the announcement.
Conservative leader Badenoch wrote on X: ‘No matter how old you are, or how much you try to prepare, losing your father is a profoundly painful experience.
‘A part of your life that has always been there is suddenly gone forever and it can feel as though a part of you won’t ever be the same again.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.